Pazzi Chapel

chapel, Florence, Italy

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June 23, 2026

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The Pazzi Chapel is an early Renaissance chapel in Florence, Italy, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. It is located adjacent to the Church of Santa Croce and was commissioned by the Pazzi family, a rival Florentine family to the Medici. Construction likely began around 1442 and was not completed until after Brunelleschi's death.123

The chapel is noted for its harmonious proportions and elegant design, utilizing mathematical modules and geometric formulas. It features a central square covered by a hemispherical dome, with adjoining rectangular and square spaces. The exterior is characterized by a creamy wall surface contrasted with dark gray stone detailing. The Pazzi Chapel is considered a significant example of early Renaissance architecture, showcasing Brunelleschi's mastery of classical forms and spatial organization.14

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Desiderio da Settignano
…the tondi for Filippo Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel in Florence sometime after 1451 and completed the marble Altar of the Sacrament in San Lorenzo, Florence (1461), which is considered to be one of the decorative masterpieces of the 15th century.
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…the tondi for Filippo Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel in Florence sometime after 1451 and completed the marble Altar of the Sacrament in San Lorenzo, Florence (1461), which is considered to be one of the decorative masterpieces of the 15th century.
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Filippo Brunelleschi
Architectural career
…plan and elevation of the Pazzi Chapel, as he had in San Lorenzo, but he arranged the space in a more complex and sophisticated manner in the later building. A hemispherical dome covers a central square, which is extended on either side so that the square forms the centre of…
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…plan and elevation of the Pazzi Chapel, as he had in San Lorenzo, but he arranged the space in a more complex and sophisticated manner in the later building. A hemispherical dome covers a central square, which is extended on either side so that the square forms the centre of…
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Western architecture
Early Renaissance in Italy (1401–95)
In the Pazzi Chapel (1429–60), constructed in the medieval cloister of Santa Croce at Florence, the plan approaches the central type. On the inside it is actually a rectangle, slightly wider than it is deep; at its rear is a square bay for the sanctuary, and at…
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In the Pazzi Chapel (1429–60), constructed in the medieval cloister of Santa Croce at Florence, the plan approaches the central type. On the inside it is actually a rectangle, slightly wider than it is deep; at its rear is a square bay for the sanctuary, and at…
Read More